Intro
Shaikh Saadi Malik appears in the Cleveland Call and Post of 1934 extensively. He seems to be a reporter or journalist who reported on the Moslems of Cleveland to Pittsburgh. He was initially not called a Shaikh on Jan-13, however, by Jan-20, he was referred to as a “Shaikh”.
The reports of Shaikh Saadi Malik showed up on the “The Church and Religion” page of the newspaper of 1934, under the heading. “Among the Moslems”, with several sub-headings like “Proceedings at the Mother Mosque” and “Dayton Mosque” and “Activities of the Braddock Mosque” and “Akron Moslems” and “Moslems of Cincinnati” and “Youngstown Moslem News” and “The Cleveland Mosque”.
By July of 1934, the Muslims in Pittsburgh had totally ousted Muhammad Yusuf Khan (See Bowen). On July 14, an important announcement was made in the religion section of the Cleveland Call and Post, the local black newspaper:
“””The leaders of Vearianue [sic], or what is better known as Imams, gathered [in Pittsburgh] and formed a council, according to the Islamic teaching. We discharged the missionary, M.Y. Khan because of his failure to carry the work on in the right way. We, the members have been successful in making connection with the Moslem League, that we may be known throughout all the Moslem World. Our lecturer will cost just about half what it has been costing. The new
missionary will be located at … Pittsburgh. His name is Abdul Mohammed Iben Akbar. For any information, please write 18 South Sickel St., Philadelphia, Pa. Shaikh Nasir Ahmad has returned back to his mission in Philadelphia. We are making wonderful progress here in Philadelphia. Unity is our aim. May Allah guide us wherever we go.”” (Cleveland Call and Post, the local black newspaper of July-14-1934)(See Bowen).
The Vearianue, which was also known as both the Islamic Council and the Supreme Council, was led by Nasir Ahmad and was initially composed of twelve leading men from the Ohio-Pennsylvania community (because Philadelphia was now included, the region cannot be limited to the Ohio River Valley), and it soon acquired representatives from the Pittsburgh, Braddock, Youngstown, and Columbus Ahmadi missions (See Saadi Mliak, “Proceedings at the Pittsburgh Mosque,” Cleveland Call and Post, July 31, 1934, 2; Abdulla Eesa, “Bis-mil-lah,” Cleveland Call and Post, July 31, 1934, 2., via Bowen).
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